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lawebdelingles.com/nivel-b1/used-to-y-would/
‘You may already know what the meaning of ‘used to’ is, but do
you also know ‘would + infinitive’? Let’s see the rule:
I didn’t use to eat fruit when I was a child = no solía comer fruta cuando era pequeña OR
no comía fruta… (we don’t have to say “solía”)
I used to go to Torrevieja every summer when I was little = solía ir a Torrevieja todos los
veranos cuando era pequeña OR iba a Torrevieja todos los veranos…
Did you use to like school when you were at primary school? = ¿Te gustaba el colegio
cuando estabas en primaria?
As you can see, in Spanish, we don’t have to say “solía”, so better if you remember that
‘used to’ is used for habits in the past, or repetitive situations!
FORM
Remember, for the negative and interrogative forms, we don’t write -d for the past, as we
already have the past in ‘didn’t’ and ‘did’.
2. would + infinitive = also used for habits in the past and repetitive actions in the past, but
only with action verbs, NEVER WITH STATE (NON-ACTION) VERBS. ‘Used to’, however,
can be used with both action and state verbs.
First, do you remember the difference between action and non-action (state) verbs? Let me
explain it to you:
Action verbs = express actions, examples: run, drive, drink, write, watch, etc.
Non-action or state verbs= express opinion, state, desire, possession and sense = feel,
have, want, believe, etc.
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If I tell you to draw an action verb, you can do it easily, for example:
write
But if I tell you to draw a state verb, it’ll be impossible for you. How can you draw “feel” or
“be”?
– I used to want my father to take me to the park every day when I was a child = correct
– I would go to the cinema … = correct, because ‘go’ is an action verb, so both possibilities
are correct!
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